A known electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a fixing unit may include a rear cover and a top cover. The rear cover is configured to open and close an opening formed on a downstream side of the fixing unit disposed in a main body in a medium feeding direction where a recording medium is fed. The top cover is configured to open and close an opening formed in an upper portion of the main body.
The fixing unit may include a heat roller and a pressure roller that contacts the heat roller with pressure. The image forming apparatus further includes an interlocking mechanism configured to operate in connection with movement of the rear cover or the top cover such that the heat roller and the pressure roller are separated from each other. When a recording medium is jammed in the fixing unit, a user can pull out the jammed recording medium easily only by opening the rear cover or the top cover.
In the above art however, when a thicker recording medium, for example, is printed using a straight-through path in which a printed medium is ejected onto the rear cover being opened, thermal image fixing may not be sufficiently performed because the heat roller and the pressure roller are separated from each other.